Morocco bows out of port management

The country has 16 ports on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.In future, activities at these will be overseen by a new organisation, the Ports Exploitation Company (Sodep).

All new ports will immediately be eligible for private-sector management, as will established oil terminals at the ports of Jorf and Nador in northern Morocco. At present, Casablanca port is the most expensive in the Mediterranean. One of the aims of the privatisation bill is to cut port tariffs by 25%-30%.